During some portions of a flight, passengers may be permitted to leave their seat. For example, on a long flight lasting more than 3 hours, lack of physical movement can create unhealthy conditions, such as limited blood flow in the lower extremities. When passengers leave their seats to stretch their legs, they typically have little opportunity to find someplace of interest in the cabin where they are allowed to go. Also, passengers may find clearance difficult due to activities in the aisle such as meal service or beverage service.
The inventors recognized the need for a location for passengers to temporarily dwell while taking a break from sitting. Additionally, the inventors recognized the need for a location where a passenger may tuck in to avoid collision with a galley cart or other aisle impedance.
The inventors also recognized that this need could be satisfied by utilizing “dead space” that occurs in certain aircraft seating layouts. For example, business class suite layouts in certain aircraft sometimes leave areas of the cabin floor unused. Heretofore such layouts were generally avoided or the suites were rearranged such that the unused spaced is positioned adjacent a bulkhead or other monument such that an additional monument such as a storage cabinet may be conveniently positioned in the gap. Such storage cabinets generally cannot be positioned in the middle of a cabin, including because safety guidelines require flight attendants to have line of sight across the cabin during take-off and landing. Seating layouts have substantially limited by the constraint that “dead space” in the middle of a cabin must generally be avoided. By eliminating this constraint, the inventors have substantially broadened the scope of available seating layouts.